Tiger Woods gets real about age and health but vows to win again

Tiger Woods was as brutally honest about the state of his game as he’s ever been after his missed cut at The Open, but made it clear he’s not done winning tournaments either.
Woods was never a factor at Royal Portrush this week, with an opening 78 all but sealing his fate on day one.
A second-round 70 was much improved, but it wasn’t enough to keep him around for the weekend.
Another birdie for @TigerWoods.
He's 2-under through 6.pic.twitter.com/XGvDrEp0Fr
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 19, 2019
It was just the second time in his career he’s missed multiple cuts at majors in the same season, and it continued the trend of Woods not playing all that well since that remarkable Masters win, if he plays at all.
Afterwards, Woods made it clear he’ll never be the kind of consistent performer he was a decade ago.
78 + 70 = A missed cut at #TheOpen for Tiger Woods. pic.twitter.com/UhINPTLxs8
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) July 19, 2019
“It’s just a matter of being consistent. That’s one of the hardest things to accept as an older athlete is that you’re not going to be as consistent as you were at 23,” Woods said.
“I’m going to have my hot weeks. I’m going to be there in contention with a chance to win – and I will win tournaments.
“But there are times when I’m just not going to be there and that wasn’t the case 20-some-odd years ago.
“I had a different body and I was able to be a little bit more consistent.”
Despite the tough talk, it’s clear the competitive fire remains, and while Woods admits his body no longer allows him to play as freely as he once did, it’s not all bad news.
The hard work Woods put in with his physios to strengthen his body to the point where he could go out and compete again did result in a stunning major victory.
Yesterday I got to see first hand the importance of @TigerWoods to the game of golf… an empty range @TheOpen in pouring rain, one man alone practicing on a Wednesday afternoon and just a "few" fans watching… incredible really. Absolute privilege to witness. pic.twitter.com/EMkOCN16Aw
— Stuart Archibald (@stuartarchibald) July 18, 2019
And one out of four certainly isn’t bad.
“I love just the stress of playing in a major,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I’ve only had a chance to win one of them and was able to do it but the other three I didn’t do very well.
“Let’s be honest, I don’t have the flexibility I used to have and never will. So I have to make certain adaptations.
“I just have to continue doing what I’m doing. I’ve gotten so much stronger over the past year working with my physios and trying to get my body organised so that I can play at a high level.
“It panned out; I won a major championship this year.”
Track the latest live scores from the 148th Open Championship by heading over to our LIVE score centre!
Latest
-
Ryder Cup
New Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald motivated by ‘bitter’ memories of 2021 defeat
Stenson was stripped of the role for breaking his contract by joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series.
-
Ryder Cup
The task facing Luke Donald after replacing Henrik Stenson
Stenson was appointed on March 15 and said he was fully committed to a role before signing with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series.
-
Ryder Cup
Luke Donald named Europe’s Ryder Cup captain
Donald replaces Henrik Stenson after he was stripped of the role.
-
PGA Tour
Tony Finau claims second straight PGA Tour victory
The American won the 3M Open in his previous outing.
-
News
Henrik Stenson cushions Ryder Cup blow with £3.6m debut win in LIV Golf
The Swede was stripped of his role as Europe captain after joining the Saudi-backed breakaway tour.
-
News
Former Masters champion Bubba Watson becomes latest player to join LIV Golf
The left-hander is currently sidelined by a knee injury and is not expected to play until next season,
-
Ryder Cup
Luke Donald tipped to replace Henrik Stenson as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain
The Swede lost the job 127 days after his appointment following his decision to join the LIV Golf series.
-
News
Max Homa: Tiger Woods now understands the respect he commands from his peers
Homa has made no secret of his admiration for Woods.
-
Ryder Cup
Bernard Gallacher fears Greg Norman is not the man for compromise with LIV Golf
Players who have resigned from the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf will not be eligible for next year’s Ryder Cup.
-
LPGA Tour
Brooke Henderson takes two-shot lead into final round of Evian Championship
South Korea’s Ryu So-yeon climbed into outright second place on 15 under.